Having Sciatica in pregnancy is a massive joy killer. I have struggled with it tremendously in both my first pregnancy and my current pregnancy. And I'm tired of people saying that it's normal and it will get better. It won't and it doesn't until after you have the baby. Here is my insight into dealing with Sciatica in pregnancy.
First thing to remember is that whilst sciatica is incredibly annoying, it doesn't harm your baby, it's just painful for you, Yay! Sciatica is typically when your growing baby is sitting on your sciatic nerve in your lower back and it can cause pain and numbness down your buttocks and thighs. For me personally i get Sciatic pain from the mid second trimester on wards. And as much as I'd like to say that there are miracle cures for it, there's not. There's only a very small amount of tips and tricks to help try and ease the pain of sciatica and make it a bit more bearable.
Laying on your side with a pillow between your legs
Now i know you have probably read this absolutely everywhere, but i can tell you from my experience it does provide a bit of relief. It doesn't matter to me which side you are on, as long as you are on your side and you have a pillow between your legs, that is what i find helpful. it does provide some relief, but not as much as we all would help. Sometimes limited relief is better than none.
Baths and Epsom Salts
Another one that you may have heard a few times, but i find a decent soak in a warm bath helps the pain tremendously. I do think adding a decent bath bomb, or Epsom bath salts helps my body relax which alleviates some of the pain I'm experiencing. When it comes to bathing though, they do recommend not to have your bath too hot, which i think is a given when bathing anyways, who wants to boil alive? My suggestion with Epsom bath salts is to add 1/2 a cup of extra salts and soak in them for between fifteen to twenty minutes. I just find it really helps to deal with some of the pain.
Massages from your partner
If your partner isn't a professional masseuse, whilst this can be a bit of a let down HAHA, it doesn't matter too much as gentle massages can provide some good relief to the affected area as well as some stress relief. I find that when i get my husband to massage the very low of my back, or wherever i am experiencing the pain, softly and sometimes slightly firm, it helps to relieve the sciatic pain for a short amount of time. Night times before bed where i can be in my most pain, having hubby perform a small massage sometimes helps me fall asleep. I will mention that having a bit of a massage and then getting up and moving around can throw off any relief you might feel as you just end up putting that pressure on your lower back again.
Those are just some simple things you can opt to do to help deal with sciatica during pregnancy. Always visit your GP if you find nothing like this helps. They typically can refer you to physical therapy, which i get to try during this pregnancy. I am super excited as i have heard it can be really helpful for Sciatica. Once completed you will get to read about it and my tips for going through physio when pregnant (if i have any).